'80s Metal from the twenty-first century!
alpha128 | Cleveland, OH USA | 08/02/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Messiah's Kiss is one of several German bands (others include Primal Fear and Iron Savior) who are keeping the classic heavy metal sound of the 1980s alive and well in the new millennium.
Messiah's Kiss makes no attempt to hide their influences. Over the course of the album, vocalist Mike Tirelli alternatively sounds like Ronnie James Dio, David Coverdale, and even Rob Halford.
The Dio influence can be heard most strongly on "Where the Falcons Cry". Meanwhile, "Dragonheart" and "Steelrider" would be right at home on Judas Priest's Painkiller album.
This CD has a good variety of material that keeps it interesting. Speed metal tracks like "The Ancient Cries" and "Nocturnal" are interspersed with slower tracks like "Thunder of the Night" and "Northern Nights".
Highlights include the aforementioned "Where the Falcons Cry" (Dio worship at its finest), "Babylon" (excellent speed metal that brought this album to my attention), and "City of Angels" (emotional pseudo-ballad).
Messiah's Kiss aren't going to win any originality awards, but who cares? I'm reminded of a quote by Kiss' Gene Simmons who said, "the most original musicians can be found in the jazz clubs, and they're all starving to death."
The bottom line is "Dragonheart" delivers the kind of music I like: fast, heavy, aggressive yet still melodic, with a singer who can actually SING. If you're a fan of Dio and Judas Priest, or sick of the monotony and need for subtitles in so much of today's metal, I recommend you check out this album."
A good listen.
W. Clarke | Australia | 07/22/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you like your metal in the power or NWOBHM styles then this album is a great buy. I have probably listened to it more than any other album I have purchased in that last 6 months."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1